OWNER's Bridgestone Pictures

John
Robbo of Tasmania, AU, bought his first motorcycle at the age of 16 -- a new
Bridgestone 100 Deluxe in 1968 from Yates Motorcycles in Launceston. The
day before he picked it up some school kids had been through the shop and taken
the key out of it, so it was hauled home in a Holden ute and with a friend spent
the next 3-4 days pushed up and down the driveway until the key arrived.
It had the two tone grey and white seat with red lettering "BRIDGESTONE" across
the back and also the same in gold lettering on each side of the petrol tank on
the red paint just above the chrome.

The
original riding group consisted of a Honda CB90 (the only four stroke), one
Ducati Cadet 100, a Yamaha 100 twin, two Suzuki 100's, and this Bridgestone 100.
Later, three more joined the group riding another two Suzuki 100's and a
Bridgestone 90.

The
BS100 Deluxe was ridden all over, often over one hundred miles at a time, with
roads frequently gravel or dirt, in all weather, even snow. John relates,

"One
frosty winter's night I was so cold that I had the throttle screwed open as hard
and far as it would go and actually saw the speedo needle touch 75 mph. It was a
little bit wobbly at that speed, or maybe it was my stiff shaky arms, but I let
it back off to 65 mph. When I came down our driveway I couldn't use the clutch
or brakes properly and the small dent in the garage roll-a-door is still there
today! I fell over sideways and my dad came out, stood me on my feet and put my
bike in the shed for me."

1966
BS175DT. Joe W. owns this bike, built
in February 1966. It was a dealer demo that was never sold. A customers bike blew
it's clutch apart, and instead of making him wait for parts, they took the parts off the
demo; the bike was then put in a back room where it sat until 1979. When bought, the parts were under the bike,
still new in the
boxes. It was put back together, where it sat again in someone's shop.
I've had it since last year. It has only 157 miles on it, has never been
registered, and all the paper work came with it, just like it would have in
1966. The tool kit is still sealed, having never been opened, and it has the deluxe
seat. The bike now sits inside the house.

BS 50 Sport

Jim Evans, 17 years old, at Carlsbad Raceway, likely in the summer of 1971
at an ACA event, on one of Tony Murphy's BS350's. The purpose was to ride
this bike for a season or two prior to going professional. This blue 350 was
reportedly one of two commissioned by Bridgestone to contest the AMA nationals
with Tony Murphy and Bob Barker building. It is without the fairing in this
photo,
possibly deemed unneeded at Carlsbad. Jim recalls the fairing was built by Wixom
and was a bulky, one piece unit and is sure his dad had an easier time jetting
the bike without it. This bike was a groundbreaking road racer. It sported 16"
wheels, special Goodyear tires and Lockheed brakes,
with the most massive forks he'd seen. It was fast and seemed to slide around a
lot at Carlsbad, however he remembers winning a few 350 events over the area's
fast Yamahas. This was his first introduction to big horsepower, not AMA
horsepower, but fast for the club stuff of that day.

Stan
Smith and George Miller both on a BS175 in the International GP at Orange County
International Raceway in 1969. We were "nip 'n tuck" for 1st place till we
started lapping riders. I went to the inside and George went to the outside to
pass a rider in turn two when I slid on some "track marbles" the side car race
left before and we both crashed.

Stan
Smith's 100 TMX at Orange County International Raceway in the 100 production
race.

This
is Stan Smith's last BS 175 at Ontario Raceway in 1977. It was faired out in
Yamaha tank/seat replica's and had a Ducati twin lead front brake that basically
bolted into the stock forks.

Stan Smith's BS200

Stan Smith's BS175
at Lyons drags, used as a prototype by J&R Engineering for their after
market glass packed street pipes that were expansion chambers inside.
"(They used
my A1 Kawi also.) Got FREE pipes for the favor!"

Stan Smith with his BS175 racer.

Stan Smith with his BS175 and TD1C Yamaha with Yetman frame.

George Miller's BS175 racer. The guy in the background is Mike Velasco.

Bridgestones in Europe

Racing 125, Henk-van-Kessal owns this BS175 converted to a water cooled 125cc, named Condor, 1999.

BS175
This was made out of some surplus 175 stuff that was hanging around from previous 175 restorations.
It has 22mm carbs with175+ racer carb covers, clip-ons and BS fenders. It's a bit of a copy of a pre-production 200
in Japan, which had lovely all in one mufflers (too expensive to copy). The
aluminum tank we made for our road racers; chopped 350 seat; the frame has a few surplus
brackets and things hacked off. We put a choke lever down on the battery
carrier, near the ignition switch. E-mail
Brian.

BS200
One of three Bridgestone road racers currently racing in the UK. This one is owned by
Brian McDonough's spanner wizard Vince
Gunning, ridden hard and well by Ian (WILF) Wilson.

BS7Brian is looking for
information on this early BS7 electric start ,a personal import into Holland from
Japan; bought by a road racer whilst competing in Japan. I think it is 1960
(unless any one knows differently).

Around the middle of 1968 Ray Breingan, a Kiwi and fellow
competitor, showed me an advertisement for this motorcycle that seemed too good
to be true -- a Bridgestone 350 GTR. We were off to Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia to take part in some races there so on the way we stopped in Surrey
to buy a Bridgestone 350 GTR. I think it cost about 350 pounds. Although we were
not riding at the Czech Grand Prix we went there to modify the Bridgestone into
some form of race bike. I remember executives and directors of the Jawa company
appraising the Bridgestone and they expressed their amazement that anyone could
produce such a motorcycle and sell it for so little. The week following the the
Grand Prix we were contracted to ride in an International race in Piestany near
Bratislava. I would ride the Bridgestone in the 350cc class and also my
Matchless G50 in the 500cc class. Ray was riding his Yamaha in the 250cc class.
There was a strong field of riders, many coming from the G.P. held the week
before. Many fellow riders laughed when they saw me with this unheard of road
bike complete with standard silencers about to take on some of the finest
production racers and factory teams. The day of the race brought rain. At the
start of the 350cc race the Bridgestone made a great start (still using the
standard gearbox). I remember passing many Manx Nortons and Aermacchis to
finished 5th or 6th. No one could believe it -- neither could I in fact. It had
fired me up and I took the Matchless on to get a 2nd in the 500 race. The
Bridgestone is number 72 in the middle of the picture. -- Steve Ellis